Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1887-12-04

vict who had escaped to New Zealand
and thence. when the gold fever
broke out, had, like many a iothel
rutfian, made his Nay to San Francis
CO. The crime for which he was ar
rested was ballot-box stufIing, and be-
fore his death he made confession
containing some startling revelations
with regard to the frauds committed by
him and his accomplices at the Presi-
dio p Ills. He was sentenced, not to
death, but to repatriation yet Sulli-
van, four days afterward. apparently
believing that the committee would
discover some OF his more fragrant
crimes, and hang him after al, cut
his thro 1t in his cell. 1t was said, in
Iced, that the suicide was really due
to the denial of the stimulantsto which
the prisoner had long been accus-
toned. his normal indulgence having
been from fifty to eighty drinks a day.
With such habits it is not perhaps
surprising that, under the sudden sub
stitution OF tea and coffee, his nervous
system should have been sensibly de-
pre- sed.
The sentence of repatriation, was,
as we have seen, applied to only about
thirty. at amounted" says the au-
thor, Sin most cases, simply to a free
passage Ito the Sandwich Islands.
Panama, or the Atlantic States) fol
some devoee of the derringer, cleo
ton bludgeon- brandisher, or other so
cial vulture, who, having terminated
his career in California, and wrought
there all the mischief possible, now
ught another cline where, unknown
to the police, he might begin anew.
Travel being prescribed, and the
noxious individual being out OF
money, as those who live
upon the public usually are,
he was duly provided for and escorted
to the vessel by the committee. So
that verdict like the following: MIR.
Cunningham, such was the name OF
one of the men condemned to Danish
ment-you have been found guilty of
passing altered coin and OF robbing
the dead. Your sentence is that you
leave this State, never to return, I'M
der penalty of death, merely signified
to Mr.. Cunningham that his passage
hence would be paid, but stipulated
that he must not return. Why
should, however, Mr.. Cunningham
wish to return? Could he not do bet
ter in country where the dead has
not as yet been robbed ?"
In only one instance did an invol-
untary exile return to California dur
ing the active operations of he com
mittee. A thief named Bulger had
been shipped by the Vigilants to Hon
olulu, but returned by the same YES
sci. He was at once arrested and put
on trial for his life. He only escaped
the death sentence by the confession
of the member of the committee who
had notified him of the order of exile
that he had forgotten to mention that
violation of the mandate would sub
iect him to the death penalty. He was
accordingly a second time expelled
from California, and evinced this time
no wish to return.
After the Vi.ilance Committee was
supposed to have disbanded, one Gal
lagher, who had been a night watch.
man in the Custom House, returned
to San Francisco, and during the year
1858 lihelled the vessel which had
C Dnveyed him to the Sandwich Islands
and the United States Court gave him
$4,000 damages. Gallagher tried &c
sell his judgment for $1,000 to the Ex-
ecutive Committee, which had sur
vived the DISARMAMENT OF the Vigi-
lants. They would not purchase, and
a. about the same time they were
known to have made inquiries as tc
the stare of the Vigilant forces in
case of an emergency, Gallagher
and his lawyers arrived at the
conclusion that the committee did moi
intend to pay the damages. Duane,
another expatritted citizen, who re-
turned in 1860, got from the United
States District Court judgment for
81 900, which, however, the Supreme
Court cut down to $50. A suggestive
fact, as showing how mnch pleasanter
place of sojourn for scoundrel5 New
York was than San Francisco at that
epoch, is cirr9nicled with reference to
Mr.. Billy Mulliyan, who, after life
Of crime, was finally killed by San
Francisco policeman in July, 1865.
In June, 1858, Mr.. Mulligan, who two
years previously had been invited to
leave San Francisco, happened to meet
in the barroom of the Metropolitan
Hotel reputable Californian named
Hiram n. Webb. ooh, you are the
man, are YOU" yelled Null gan, "who
helped to drive me out of California %
And with these words dealt Webb a
blow which rendered him almost
senseless, Mulligan was at the time
protected by his friends, and although
he was next day arrested, and under
went the form of trial, he was dis
charged. This incident is mentioned
by Mr.. Bancroft as an example o.
what travelling Vigilants were sub
jected to for years after the crusade
had closed. To decent Americans il
is not particularly gratifying to be
reminded tia this m III Mulligan pro-
fessed to be an ardent Unionist dur.
ing The war of the rebellion, and aided
in raising the Empire City Regiment
The case of Judge Terry (who after
ward killed Broderick in a dueD de.
serves some attention, because the
result of his trial excited much irrita-
ton and some distrust on the part Of
the rank and file of the Vigilance
Committee against the Executive
Board. He was arrested and impris
oned by Vigilants on June 81, 1856
He was charged with divers breaches
of the peace, with resisting by VIC
lence the officers of the Committee o.
Vigilance, and finally with commit
ting an assault with dealy weapon
with intent to kill one Hop
kins, member of the com
mittee. AS matter of fact Hopkins
had entirely recovered before the
trial of the prisoner. Mr.. Bancroft is
outspoken-andw we do not see how
any candid reader can help concurring
with HMM approving the judg
m-nt pronounced in this case by the
Executive Committee, notwithstand-
ing the adverse vote and remon-
STRANGE OF ,rge number of vigilants.
Tho Evaeutiva Com m iftaa acted in